


talk

by PhoenixAD



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29054172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixAD/pseuds/PhoenixAD
Summary: Can't we just talk? Talk about where we're going before we get lost.Talk - Khalid
Relationships: Sylvie Brett & Matthew Casey, Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 35
Kudos: 100





	talk

**Author's Note:**

> _Can't we just talk? Talk about where we're going before we get lost._
> 
>   
> __
> 
> Talk - Khalid 

Matt walked onto Molly’s patio, scanning the crowd; if he was being honest with himself, he was hoping to see Sylvie, but she wasn’t there. 

It was a Friday night, so she was probably out on a date with Grainger; Matt tried not to let that thought bother him. 

Stopping at the bar long enough to grab a couple of beers, Matt found his best friend sitting alone at a table in the corner. 

“You look like you could use another.” Matt slid one of the beers across the table as he sat down. 

“I feel like I could use about twelve. Or maybe something stronger than a beer.”

Matt picked up his beer. “I’m assuming this has something to do with Stella having not been home in days.”

Kelly sighed, rubbing his face. “I screwed up.” 

“You wanna be a little more specific?” 

“A few weeks ago, I went to headquarters to talk to OFI, and I bumped into Conway.” Kelly sighed. “He mentioned Stella. Or specifically, her promotion.” 

Matt rolled his eyes; he knew Conway, and he could guess what he had to say about it. “And what did the dinosaur have to say? That they’re pushing her promotion because she’s a woman and CFD wants the representation?”

“Well, yeah.” Kelly rolled his eyes. “He suggested that the reason she’s climbing the ladder so fast has more to do with me, because she’s sleeping with an officer who’s connected to the Commissioner’s office.” 

“Jesus Christ.” Matt shook his head, gripping his beer tighter; his urge to protect and defend his people ran deep, and ridiculous suggestions like that were sexist and offensive. “The fact you haven’t gotten suspended tells me you didn’t lay him out, which would’ve been justified.” 

“I wanted to.” Kelly chuckled. “But no. He said it’s what other people are saying.” 

“Anybody that’s ever watched Kidd in action would know that’s bullshit.” Matt stated. “She’ll prove herself to all the white shirts. What’d she say about it?” 

“I, uh, didn’t tell her.” 

Matt sat his beer down and leveled his best friend with a disbelieving look. “What?” 

“It would’ve just upset her, and for what?” Kelly sighed. “As long as we were together, people would whisper it behind her back.” 

“Were together?” Matt asked. “As in you’re not now?” 

“I don’t even know.” Kelly sighed. 

“Okay, why did she leave? What happened?” 

“I tried to pull back, give her some space. For her sake.” 

Matt sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Come on, man. I know that’s what I said about Sylvie, but that’s a drastically different situation.” 

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” 

“And now?” 

“Being apart from her...” Kelly shook his head. “I don’t give a damn about what any of those people say, but that’s selfish. Maybe this is for the best. She’ll prove to all those assholes she’s doing this without me.” 

“I thought the days of watching you self-destruct were behind us.” Matt rubbed his hand over his face. “Maybe you think it’s selfish, but maybe it’s okay to be selfish every once in a while, especially if it’s what she wants too. It’d be a different thing if she wanted space and time herself.” 

Kelly scoffed. “That’s ironic. You telling me it’s okay to be selfish. You’re not, you’re being selfless, standing by while Brett moves on with the Lieutenant.”

“Again, a different situation.” Matt stated. “I’m not in a relationship with Sylvie - we kissed, once. And if I was in a relationship with her, you can be damn sure I wouldn’t walk away from the woman I love because some ancient asshole in a white shirt said something about it.” 

“Did you just admit you love her?” Kelly picked up his beer, hiding a smirk as he lifted it to his mouth. “Cause it sounds like you did.” 

Matt froze as he reached for his beer as he realized what he had, inadvertently, said. “I... no, that’s not what I meant.” 

“Yeah, okay. If you say so.” 

“I know what you’re doing.” Matt chuckled. “You’re trying to get the discussion away from you and your stupid ass decisions.” 

“Maybe.” Kelly shrugged. “Doesn’t mean we can’t talk about  _ your _ stupid ass decisions.” 

“We might both be idiots.” Matt agreed. “But yours is entirely on you, man. You did it and you can fix it. Just go talk to her.” 

“You didn’t see her face when I tried to talk to her last shift.” Kelly shook his head. “I have to give her some time to cool off.” 

“Fine.” Matt stood up to grab some more drinks. “Tonight we drink.” 

* * *

“You know, every time we drink, I spend the next wishing I were dead.” Matt groaned as he reached for the coffee pot. “And you’re always fine. How is that possible?” 

“Tolerance levels?” Kelly laughed. “Or experience. I’ve gone on a hell of a lot more drinking binges than you.” 

“It’s not worth it.” Matt sighed, leaning against the counter. “It’s the middle of the afternoon and my head is still killing me.” 

“If you’re just now emerging for coffee, food would probably help with the headache.” Kelly laughed. 

“Already have Chinese food on the way.” Matt replied. “Have you talked to Kidd yet?” 

“I tried texting her earlier.” Kelly sighed. “No reply.” 

“I think it’s going to take more than a text, Sev.” 

“I know. It’s going to take some groveling.” Kelly nodded. “Won’t be the first time.” 

“Probably won’t be the last, either.” Matt quipped. 

“Shut up.” Kelly stood up, swiping his phone off the counter. “Alright, I’m going to Brett’s to talk to Stella.” 

“Good luck.” 

“Thanks.” 

* * *

Sylvie looked up from her laptop at the sound of knocking on the door; assuming Stella had her hands too full to use her key, she hurried up and rushed to answer the door.

She expected Kelly would show up at some point, but she hadn’t imagined it would be while Stella was out at the store. 

Sylvie glared at her best friend’s... boyfriend? She wasn’t sure that was what he still was. “Can I help you?” 

“Easy there, Mama Bear. I come in peace.” Kelly held his hands up as if in surrender. “I just want to talk to Stella.” 

“She’s not here, you can wait.” Sylvie crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away to give him room to come in. “But you’re an idiot. In case you didn’t know.” 

“You don’t know what you’re even talking about.” 

“No, I don’t. Neither does Stella.” Sylvie exclaimed as she turned towards the kitchen, setting out to open a bottle of wine. “All I know is my best friend showed up with a suitcase days ago on the verge of tears asking if she could stay with me because her boyfriend is making excuses to avoid seeing her and will hardly talk to her, much less explain why, and it’s taken you this long to show up here. So, that’s what I know. So, yeah, in conclusion, I know you’re an idiot. Why won’t really change that, will it?” 

Kelly glared as sat down on the couch; her words struck a nerve. He was already worried the why wouldn’t change the damage he’d done in the past month. 

“Well, at least I’m not pushing Stella away because I’m hung up on something in the past.” 

“You clearly do not know what you’re talking about.” Sylvie narrowed her eyes, taking a drink of her wine. “And what’s a good excuse to push someone away? Things going too well so you self-destruct?” 

“Everything I’ve done is for her own good.” Kelly snapped. “What about you? Who are you protecting? Dawson?” 

There wasn’t a single part of what Kelly had just said that hadn’t left Sylvie feeling dumbfounded, but it was easier to focus on his and Stella’s problems than her own. “What do you mean by for Stella’s own good?” 

“You’re deflecting.” 

“Maybe.” Sylvie raised an eyebrow. “But you started it. You deflected first.”

“I’m here to talk to Stella about it. I’m here to make it right.” Kelly stated. “What are you doing? Temporarily distracting yourself with Lieutenant Grainger?” 

“That’s not what I’m doing.” Sylvie was moving on. There was a difference, she reminded herself. “I would never use someone like that.” 

“Not intentionally.” Kelly shrugged. “It’s not my business, anyway. I just don’t understand why you’re making both of you miserable over some over-inflated loyalty to somebody that left you both without looking back, but hey, if you both want to continue to be selfless and miserable, not my business.” 

Sylvie was still figuring out a response when the front door swung open a few seconds later. 

“I got us enough wine to -” Stella stopped when she saw Kelly on the couch. “What are you doing here, Kelly?” 

Kelly stood up from the couch. “I want to talk, to explain why I’ve been so off.” 

“If you don’t want to talk, I’ll drag him out.” Sylvie offered, touching Stella’s arm. 

Stella sighed, setting her bags of groceries down on the counter. “I’m fine. We can talk.”

“I’ll be in my room.” Sylvie stood up, grabbing her phone. “Offer stands, if you want him gone.” 

Stella smiled. “Thanks, Brett.”

* * *

She’d make a mistake, Sylvie realized it quickly; she should’ve left the apartment, not gone in her bedroom. 

Kelly and Stella weren’t particularly loud, but the walls in the apartment were thin; most of the time, it was just muffled voices, although every once in a while a raised voice made it clear enough for her to hear it. 

“You don’t get to make these choices for me, for us, Kelly!” 

Sylvie cringed, picking up her phone; she’d forgotten her AirPods in the kitchen, next to her purse, but even having music playing without them would drown the sound out a little. 

After settling on some Taylor Swift music, Sylvie went to her messages, seeing a new text from Greg. 

_ We still on for drinks at Molly’s tonight?  _

She’d honestly forgotten about the plans she’d made with him, but she couldn’t blow him off again; she’d already rescheduled from the night before, not wanting to leave Stella alone. 

_ Yeah, is 7 okay?  _ Sylvie hit send and sat her phone down. If she was meeting him at 7, she had almost four hours still, but just to have something to do, she climbed off the bed and went to her closet to figure out what she was going to wear. 

By the time Sylvie had laid out her favorite black skinny jeans and ivory sweater, her phone beeped with a new text; she quickly glanced at it to see it was Greg confirming they were on for seven. 

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door and then the door cracked open, Stella sticking her head in. 

“So, I’m gonna go home.” 

Sylvie smiled. “Well, as much as I love the girl time, I’m happy to hear it. Talk later?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” Stella grinned. “Love you, girl. Thanks for letting me crash here.” 

“Anytime.” Sylvie laughed. “Although hopefully he doesn’t make a habit of it.” 

Stella rolled her eyes. “You’re telling me.” 

* * *

Sylvie scanned the patio as she stepped outside; the Squad guys, minus Kelly, were sitting around one table, Gallo, Mackey, and Ritter at another, Mouch was at the bar talking to Herrmann, but thankfully, there was no sign of Matt. 

She wasn’t trying to hide anything from him, of course; he knew she was dating Greg, they’d even bumped into each other here when she was with him, but it was  _ awkward. _

She really didn’t want to spend an evening ignoring Matt pretending to ignore them, even when she could tell he was watching them. 

“Hey Brett.” Herrmann grinned. “Rosé?”

“I think I’ll have a scotch for a change.” Sylvie laughed as she sat down at the other end of the bar as Mouch. 

Herrmann nodded, reaching for a bottle. “You meeting Lieutenant Grainger tonight?” 

Sylvie glanced towards the entrance again. “I am.” 

“Here you go.” Herrmann slid her a glass. “Scotch sure is popular lately. Casey and Severide practically wiped me out of it last night.” 

“Hmm.” Sylvie mumbled an acknowledgment before taking a sip. 

“It sounded like they were drowning their sorrows over girl trouble.” Herrmann laughed. “Guessing that’s why Stella called out last night and today.” 

Sylvie felt a hand on her lower back and turned her head; she was a little surprised when Greg greeted her with a kiss. “Sorry I’m late.” 

“You’re not. I was early.” Ignoring the heat in her cheeks, Sylvie refused to look towards any of her friends; yes, they all knew she was dating Greg, but that was their first public display of affection and she knew they’d all be looking at them. 

“What can I get you, Lieutenant?” Herrmann asked. 

“Anything on tap, thanks.” Greg sat down in the seat next to her. “How’s your friend doing?” 

“Better.” Sylvie laughed. “Made up with her boyfriend. Sorry again about having to cancel last night.” 

“I get it.” Greg smiled. “When your friend needs you, you gotta be there.” 

“Yeah, you do.” 

Sylvie heard the door opening, and somehow she  _ knew  _ it was Matt before she looked over to confirm it, meeting his eyes as he stepped out onto the patio; she knew the smile he flashed at her was disingenuous before he glanced away, finding a seat at the table with the guys from squad. 

“How was your last shift?” 

Sylvie forced her eyes over to Greg. “Uh, fine, I guess. We had one call I really hated, but other than that it was okay.”

“What happened?” 

“We got a call to the park. There was a clown.” Sylvie sighed. 

“Okay…” 

“That’s it. I’m just afraid of clowns.” Sylvie admitted. 

Greg laughed. “Seriously?” 

“Uh, yeah.” Sylvie felt her face heating up again. “Always have been.” 

Sylvie caught Herrmann’s eye and knew he’d overheard their conversation; she could tell he hadn’t liked Greg’s laughter as a response. 

“That’s kind of cute.” Greg’s laughter cut off when he saw the hurt expression on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk.”

“It’s fine.” Sylvie smiled. “What about you? How was your shift?” 

As Greg launched into a story about a call from his last shift, Sylvie noticed out of the corner of her eye as Matt approached the bar, but she tried not to follow him with her eyes as he walked by. 

“You know, I just remembered I have your jacket that you left at my place in my car. I should grab it before I forget.” 

Sylvie knew Matt had heard what Greg said; as soon as Greg stood up, she could see his hands clenched as he leaned against the bar. 

It doesn’t matter if Matt gets the wrong idea, Sylvie reminded herself; she had forgotten her jacket at his place after an innocent night of watching movies.

If he thought it was more than that, it shouldn’t matter to her. 

What did matter to Sylvie was that mentioning it while Matt was in earshot didn’t feel like it was by chance; she knew Greg had picked up on the tension between them, it would’ve been impossible for him not to notice, but it  _ felt  _ like a territorial move, and she didn’t like that, not after a handful of dates over the course of a month. 

“Scotch.” 

Herrmann chuckled. “A double again?” 

Matt’s eyes darted towards her for a split second. “Yeah.” 

Matt didn’t glance in her direction again as he walked away, and Sylvie sighed, leaning against the bar. “Herrmann, can I get a refill?” 

* * *

Sylvie glanced at the time on her phone; technically, she’d only been at Molly’s an hour, but it felt much longer. She’d spent most of it trying to ignore the fact she knew Matt was watching them. She could feel him shooting daggers in their direction; not at her, no, they were aimed at Greg. 

He’d put his arm around her shoulder not once or twice, but three times, and she’d casually shrugged him off every time; she couldn’t shake the feeling it was more about laying a claim than it was about her. 

The one time she’d risked glancing towards Matt, she sensed he was waiting for a sign from her to walk over and tell Greg to get lost; he could read her, he’d know she was uncomfortable. 

“I know it’s early, but I think I’m going to have to call it a night.” Sylvie smiled. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night and shift in the morning, so…” 

“Oh, okay.” Greg smiled. “Are you sure you’re good to drive?” 

Sylvie glanced at her empty glass; she had drunk three scotches in an hour. “I’ll just get an Uber. No big.” 

“I’ll give you a ride.” 

“Hey Brett.” Gianna walked up with a smile. “I’m heading out. Did you need a ride? Since your place is on the way?” 

That wasn’t true, Sylvie knew where Gianna lived and it was in the opposite direction as her own place, but she was incredibly grateful for her partner’s lie. “Yeah, that’d be great.” 

“I don’t mind.” Greg stated with a smile. 

“You’re in the opposite direction. I’ll see after next shift.” Sylvie wasn’t sure that was true as she picked up her purse and jacket. “Have a good night, Greg.” 

* * *

“Thanks for the ride.” Sylvie smiled as Gianna parked in front of her building. 

“No problem.” Gianna laughed. “Honestly, it’s the Captain you should thank. He saw I was leaving and suggested you might be looking for a getaway.” 

Of course he had. It didn’t surprise her at all; if anything, it surprised her he didn’t offer to bring her home himself. 

“Well, thank you, anyways.” 

“Of course.” Gianna paused. “You know, my offer stands, if you ever want to talk boys. It kind of seems like you have a lot you could talk about.” 

Sylvie tried to keep the bitterness out of her laugh. “I’m not sure any of it’s actually worth talking about, but I appreciate the offer.” 

“Have a good night.” Gianna smiled. “I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Goodnight, Gianna. Drive safe.” Sylvie climbed out of the car and headed into her building; 

All she really wanted was to take a nice hot shower and curl up in bed with the book she had been reading the past few days and hopefully get a better night’s sleep than she had the night before. 

Once in her apartment, Sylvie stopped in her room only long enough to shrug her jacket off and toss it on the bed, and set her phone on her nightstand before crossing the hall to her bathroom. 

Turning the water on to heat before pulling her sweater and jeans off, Sylvie reached in to turn the shower on; icy water sprayed all over her, causing her to jump back with a squeal. 

Once she was out of the waters' range, she could see where it was coming from; the same place where the shower head connected to the wall, the same place that had been dripping for weeks, and that her landlord kept saying he would check  _ soon.  _

With a groan as the icy water hit her again, she hurried towards the shower to shut the water off. 

“So much for a relaxing night.” Sylvie mumbled to herself.

As she started cleaning up the water all over her bathroom, she let her mind wander to Greg; he was a nice enough guy, but it would not work, and she knew it. 

Sylvie had ignored red flags like jealousy before, although at least Harrison hadn’t acted jealous before they were officially a couple, and she wouldn’t ignore that again. 

She’d like to pretend Matt wasn’t a factor in the decision to end things with Greg, but she knew she’d be lying to herself; she’d hoped trying to move on with someone new would get him off her mind, but she’d spent the last month comparing the two men, and that wasn’t fair to Greg.

There was only one Matt Casey, and she’d never met any man that could even come close to comparing to him. 

Setting her mop to the side, Sylvie leaned against her bathroom counter, looking at her teary eyes in the mirror, mentally chastising herself for crying over Matt again. 

Why’d she have to fall for him? She  _ knew.  _ She knew this was always how it would go, her crying over him; Sylvie shook her head, wiping at her eyes. 

No more tears, Sylvie promised herself. 

* * *

“Woah, did you shower here?” Stella asked as Sylvie walked in the locker room with wet hair. 

“Yeah.” Sylvie sighed. “My shower broke last night.” 

“Is your landlord going to fix it?” 

“Theoretically.” Sylvie rolled her eyes. “Eventually. He doesn’t seem to think it’s of the highest priority. Probably won’t be for a few days.” 

“That sucks.” Stella replied. “If only you knew somebody who would know how to install a shower, like a contractor or something.” 

Asking Matt had been her first thought, but it had been quickly dismissed as a bad idea. “I think I’d rather call someone.” 

“You are supposed to be  _ friends  _ still, aren’t you?” Stella asked. “If he, as your friend, finds out you spent a ridiculous amount of money to hire a plumber instead of asking him for help, I think he’d be offended.” 

“Stop with your logic.” Sylvie groaned. “How are things with Severide now, by the way?”

“Better.” Stella smiled. “We’ll talk about it later. Talk to Casey.” 

Stella walked away and Sylvie lingered by her locker to check her phone. 

_ Want to grab breakfast after shift?  _ Sylvie sighed as she read her latest text from Greg. 

“Morning.” Matt greeted her as he walked towards his locker. 

“Morning.” Sylvie slipped her phone in her pocket, her text from Greg to be dealt with later. 

Matt put his duffle bag in his locker, leaving the locker room without another word or glance in her direction; Sylvie sighed, leaning against her locker. 

There was a time when she wouldn’t have hesitated before asking Matt, but things were complicated now.

Sylvie pushed herself off her locker and followed in the direction he had headed, pausing in his open office doorway. 

“Hey Matt?” 

Matt looked up from his paperwork in surprise, his head snapping towards the sound of her voice. “Hey.” 

“So, I wanted to ask a favor.” 

Matt’s eyes glanced down to her hands, seeing her fidget with her watchband. “Okay, what’s up?” 

“My shower kind of broke last night, and my landlord basically said he’d get around to it when he gets around to it.” Sylvie rolled her eyes. “I could call a plumber if you don’t if you don’t have time, or just… don’t want to?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not a problem.” Matt smiled, a more genuine smile than the ones she’d been getting from him in recent weeks. “What do you mean by it broke?”

“It’s been dripping for a few weeks but I went to turn it on last night and water just sprayed everywhere from the part where the shower head connects to the wall.” Sylvie explained. “It was a  _ disaster.  _ Soaked me and my bathroom down.” 

Matt quickly glanced away, towards the stack of paper on his desk, willing that visualization out of his mind. “Okay, it could be a seal, but as old as that building is, you probably need a new system.” 

“If that’s going to be ridiculously expensive, I’ll just wait until the landlord takes care of it.” Sylvie laughed. “I can shower here.” 

“It shouldn’t be.” Matt replied. “I’ll swing by the hardware store after shift and buy the parts, then come by your place.” 

“Okay, I’ll pay you back for whatever it cost.” Sylvie nodded. “And I’m buying you food as a thank you.” 

“Okay.” 

**Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Structure fire.**

Sylvie smiled. “And so the day begins.” 

* * *

“Oh, hell no.” Gianna exclaimed. “Are we sure this is the right address?” 

“Yep.” Sylvie sighed. “Clowns last shift, a cemetery this shift. I hate this week.” 

It had already been a long shift, now they were at a cemetery after dark; Sylvie would be  _ so  _ glad when this shift was over. 

Sylvie parked the ambulance near where they spotted a man flagging them down, climbing out of the driver’s side. 

“Grab the jump bag.” She ordered Gianna before approaching the man. “What’s going on?” 

“We had just finished digging the plot, Dave fell in. I think his leg is broken.” 

“He’s stuck down there?” The man nodded and Sylvie grabbed her radio. “61 to main, we’re going to need back up. Requesting a rescue squad.” 

“Copy, 61. Back up is on the way.” 

“Show us where he is.” Sylvie and Gianna followed the man to the gravesite. “Go wave down the other trucks when they get here, please.” 

“God, this is creepy.” Gianna whispered. 

Sylvie nodded her agreement before looking down into the hole. “Dave, can you hear me?” 

“Yeah.” He winced. 

“My name’s Sylvie, I’m a paramedic. Your friend said your leg might be broken, does anything else hurt?” 

“My side and neck hurt a little.” He replied. “My side is bleeding.” 

“Okay, I need you to stay as still as you can until we can get you out of there.” Sylvie looked up with a sigh. “I need to go down there.” 

“61 to main, do you have an ETA on that back up?”

“Four minutes out.” 

“Just wait for the back up, Brett.” 

“It’s too dark, I can’t tell how much blood he’s losing.” Sylvie didn’t want to do it, but she didn’t see a better option. “It’s not that deep, I can climb down there safely. Just hand me the jump bag when I ask, okay?” 

“Okay.” Gianna replied. 

Sylvie carefully climbed down, trying not to think too much about where she was. “Okay, jump bag.” 

It didn’t take long to find the cut on his side that was bleeding, nor the rock she was sure caused it; it wasn’t serious, and she bandaged it up before moving on to put a splint on his broken leg. 

“Where’s Brett?” 

Sylvie resisted the urge to cringe at the sound of Greg’s voice; of course his house was responding on the day she’d been avoiding his texts. 

“Down there.” Gianna replied. 

Sylvie looked up as Greg leaned over the edge of the hole. “You okay down there, Brett?” 

“Yeah, I’m good. Dave here has a broken leg and a cut on his side.” 

“Hang tight, we’ll get you right out of there, Dave.” 

They had to get Sylvie out first, and the moment Greg and one of his guys lifted her up and sat her down, she started brushing at herself, trying to get the dirt off her, eager to get back to 51 and shower. 

“You okay?” Greg asked as the rest of the crew worked on getting their patient out. 

Sylvie nodded. “Yeah, just… really ready to shower.” 

“Understandable.” Greg squeezed her shoulder before going to help the rest of his guys. 

“You sure you’re okay?” Gianna asked, casting her glance towards Greg. 

Sylvie nodded; she really did just want to be back at 51 to shower. 

Firehouse 40 made quick work of pulling their patient to safety, and a few minutes later, Sylvie was closing the back of ambulance 61; she turned to head towards the front, almost smacking directly into Greg as she did. 

“Woah, sorry.” Greg laughed. “Should I take the lack of a reply as a sign you’ve had a busy shift or a sign you aren’t able to get breakfast in the morning?” 

“Uh, I have been busy.” Sylvie replied. “But I also can’t make breakfast right after shift. Matt’s coming over to fix my shower. It broke on me last night.” 

“Oh.” Greg exclaimed. “You could’ve called me. I know my way around a toolbox.” 

“Oh, uh, yeah. I guess with him being a contractor, he was just my first thought…” Sylvie hesitated. “Um, I can ask him to come a little later. How about I swing by 40 after shift?” 

Greg nodded. “Okay. You better get going.” 

“I better.” 

* * *

It was daybreak, almost the end of shift, and Sylvie had barely slept a wink; they’d had a pretty quiet night, but she had spent it tossing and turning. 

As soon as she saw Matt moving around in his quarters, Sylvie climbed off her bed, knocking lightly on the door. 

“Come in.” His voice sounded sleepy, he was still sitting on the edge of his bed, and she hated how cute she thought he was in his morning sleepiness. 

Sylvie leaned against the doorframe. “Morning.” 

“Morning.” Matt yawned, brushing a hand through his hair. “What’s up?” 

“I know you said you’d come over after shift, but can we push that to the afternoon?” Sylvie asked. “I have something I need to take care of.” 

“Sure.” Matt nodded. “Just tell me when.” 

“Is noon okay?” Matt nodded again. “Okay. Any preferences for lunch?” 

“Nope.” Matt shook his head. “Whatever you want.” 

“Okay.” Sylvie smiled. “Thanks again for doing this.” 

“What are friends for?” Matt replied. “I gotta get some coffee.” 

* * *

Sylvie parked her car in front of firehouse 40 and took a deep breath before climbing out; she quickly spotted Greg standing near Engine 40, looking at his clipboard in front of him. 

“Hi.” Sylvie greeted him, causing him to look up with a grin. 

“Hi.” Greg repeated. “I’m ready, let me put this paperwork in my quarters.” 

Sylvie shoved her hands in her jacket. “Actually, can we talk here real quick?” 

“Well, that doesn’t sound good.” Greg sighed. “What’s up?” 

Time to rip the bandaid off. “I think you’re a really nice guy, Greg, but I really don’t think this is going to work out.” 

“Oh.” Neither his tone nor expression conveyed surprise. “I’m assuming this has something to do with the Captain?”

“No.” She said it quickly, too quickly - a knee jerk reaction to a question she didn’t want to think too much about. “No, it’s not. It’s not even about you, truly. It’s about me, and that I’m just not in a place right now to jump into anything serious, and it’s not fair to you to keep moving forward like I am.” 

“Okay.” 

Sylvie wasn’t sure how his  _ okay  _ sounded like a  _ fuck you,  _ but she’d experienced it before, and it was all the confirmation she needed to know she was making the right choice by ending it with him now. 

“Okay.” Sylvie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Good luck in the future, Greg.” 

* * *

Maybe drinking at 11:45 in the morning wasn’t a great idea, but Sylvie couldn’t bring herself to care as she sipped from her wine glass, staring blankly at her TV as Property Brothers played. 

By the time there was a knock on the door at promptly noon, she had already finished a glass of wine and made her way through half a second glass, which she had in her hand when she opened the door. 

“It’s five o’clock somewhere?” Matt laughed. 

“More like ‘I don’t keep a normal schedule so why would I follow normal drinking rules’.” 

Matt raised an eyebrow. “You okay?” 

“Oh, yeah, I’m  _ great _ .” 

“Snarky is a new side of you.” Matt’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Anything you want to talk about?” 

Sylvie sighed. “No, not really.” 

“Well then, I guess I’ll get started.” 

Sylvie had only sat back down for a few seconds before the guilt over being rude kicked in, and she grabbed her phone before following him into the bathroom; she pulled herself up to sit on her counter, tucking one leg under the other. 

“So, pizza or Mexican? I’m going to order something for delivery.” 

“I’ll never say no to pizza.” Matt already had his tools out, taking down the old shower head. 

“Me either.” Sylvie agreed. “And sorry for being snippy. It just hasn’t been a good week, but that’s not an excuse for being rude to you, especially when you’re doing me a favor.” 

“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?” 

“It’s nothing you’re going to want to listen to.” Sylvie sighed, leaning her head back against the mirror. 

“That’s not true. If it’s upsetting you, I want to hear about it.” Matt promised. 

“Even if it’s about another guy?” Sylvie shot him a disbelieving look. “We really don’t have to talk about it.” 

“I’m your friend, Sylvie. Above all else.” Matt didn’t look up from his task, but she could hear the sincerity laced in every word. “So it’s about Grainger?”

Sylvie sighed; it was, but it also  _ wasn’t.  _ It was just as much about her. “I guess.” 

“Things not going well?” He was trying to keep his voice nonchalant, but it sounded forced, even to his own ears. 

“Things aren’t going at all.” Sylvie sighed. “Not anymore. That’s what I was doing after shift, ending things.” 

“Oh.” Matt glanced towards her, but she was staring at the ceiling. “I’d say I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m not that great of a liar.”

Sylvie scoffed. “Jeez, thanks for the support,  _ friend _ .” 

“Sorry, but I got a bad vibe off the guy.” Matt shrugged. “What happened?” 

“Red flags went up.” Sylvie shrugged. “I ended it.” 

She should have known Matt was going to switch into overprotective mode; he paused what he was doing and cast a worried look in her direction. “Red flags? What’d he do?” 

“Nothing, really. Just some… familiar shit I’ve already gone through. I might’ve ignored the warning signs when I was twenty, I’m not now.” Sylvie looked down to her hands. “I keep repeating my mistakes with my relationships, but ignoring those kinds of things will not be one of them.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Sylvie’s bitter laugh surprised him. “You know what? I’m not in the mood for this discussion. I’m gonna go order the food.” 

Matt watched her walk away, not wanting to push her, but her words replayed through his mind as he worked; he wanted to know what she meant by repeating her mistakes, and if she was including him as one of those  _ mistakes.  _

* * *

Sylvie sat the pizza down on the counter as soon as she closed the door; she went to tell Matt, pausing in the doorway of her bathroom. 

“Food’s here.” 

“I’m just finishing up.” Matt replied. “Give me two minutes.” 

“Okay.” Sylvie went to her fridge, grabbing two beers, sitting them down at the table before sitting down and opening one. 

“You now have a working shower.” Matt announced. 

“Thank you. Genuinely.” Sylvie smiled. “I didn’t want to wait for the landlord to get around to fixing it.”

“Not a problem.” Matt smiled as he sat down across from her at the table. 

Silence between them had never been awkward before, not until the past month, but neither of them could pretend the silence as they sat and ate wasn’t awkward and tense. 

Sylvie picked up her beer after finishing her pizza, taking a long drink. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Sure.” 

Something Kelly had said to her had been bothering her since he said it. “What did you say to Severide about us?” 

He looked up, meeting her eyes, surprised by the question. “What?” 

“It’s just something he said to me, I was just curious about what you said to him.” Sylvie shrugged. 

“I didn’t say much. That Gabby was an issue for you.” Matt picked his beer up. “What did he say to you?” 

Sylvie sat her beer down and leveled him with a look he wasn’t used to seeing on her face - anger. “What?” 

“What do you mean,  _ what?  _ I know you talked to Stella about it. I don’t see why you’re angry that I talked to Severide about it.” 

“I - I’m not.” Sylvie shook her head. “It’s just… you said Gabby is an issue for  _ me? _ It’s not my issue, Matt!” 

“I told you she wasn’t an issue for me.” Matt stated. “I might have reacted poorly that night here and spoke without thinking, but I told you my feelings for you are real.” 

“Yeah,  _ regardless of Gabby _ .” Sylvie tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice as she stood up, shoving her plate in the sink with more force than she should have; she wasn’t sure she didn’t crack it. “I don’t want to be regardless of somebody else. I’ve been a second choice before, and I’ve been collateral damage following a messy divorce with an emotionally unavailable man.” 

Matt stood up, stepping closer to her in the small space of her kitchen. “Emotionally unavailable? I have been as emotionally available to you as I’ve ever been to anybody, ever.” 

“That can’t possibly be true, when you couldn’t answer a simple question about what you’d do if Gabby came back!” Sylvie exclaimed. “Gabby’s not my issue, Matt. She’s yours. I wouldn’t have kissed you if she was a problem for me. The fact you’re clearly still hung up on her is!” 

Matt stepped closer still, and she took a step forward, leaving them standing closer than they’d been in weeks. “I don’t want to be with Gabby, she’s asked me to leave with her  _ twice _ . If I wanted to be with her, I would be.” 

“Then why didn’t you say that  _ weeks  _ ago?” Sylvie raised her voice, raking a hand through her hair in frustration. 

“I don’t know why I couldn’t answer your question that night. I guess I panicked.” Matt shook his head. “You said Gabby, and I didn’t respond well. I tried to fix it and you asked for space.”

“That was your idea of  _ fixing  _ it?” Sylvie groaned. “God, you’re frustrating.”

“I didn’t realize what you were actually worried about, Sylvie.” 

“How could you  _ not  _ realize my concern?” Sylvie shook her head. “I asked what you’d do if she came back, you said you didn’t know, and then you said you had feelings for me  _ regardless  _ of her. How the hell was I supposed to take that as anything other than you saying you still have feelings for her?” 

“You can’t expect me to say I don’t care about Gabby. I know you don’t expect me to.” Matt sighed. “But I just told you I don’t want to be with her.” 

“I know you’re always going to care about her. So do I.” Sylvie sighed. “But not wanting to leave the country to be with someone isn’t the same as not wanting to be with them at all. If she came back...” 

“We used to be better at the communication thing. How is it we could talk as friends with no problems, but ever since we kissed, every single thing we’ve said has been a miscommunication?” 

Sylvie sighed. “I don’t know, Matt. Maybe we’re better off as friends.” 

“No.” Matt stated. “I listened the first time you asked for space and didn’t push, but no. I will not do it again. We tried that. I’ve been miserable for a month, despite my best efforts, and I don’t think you’ve been all that happy yourself despite yours.” 

She couldn’t argue with that; moving on with Greg hadn’t helped keep her mind off Matt, and it hadn’t made her  _ happy,  _ even before she had seen past his charm to realize he wasn’t as nice as he seemed. 

“We’re standing in my kitchen arguing, Matt. It doesn’t bode well as a sign, especially since it doesn’t seem to be accomplishing anything.” Sylvie leaned against her counter, crossing her arms. “We never argued as friends.” 

“If this is your idea of arguing, it’s very clear we have different definitions of arguments.” Matt sighed. “We’re having a conversation, and I think this honest, open conversation is  _ exactly  _ what we need.”

“It’s still not accomplishing anything.” 

“Not true. I know now what the issue is. I’m telling you right now what I should have said weeks ago, and I’m going to be as blunt as possible to avoid any miscommunications.” Matt took a deep, calming breath. “I’m done with her, I don’t want to be with her. I’m not hung up on her. If I’m hung up on anybody, it’s you. I can’t get you out of my head. I haven’t been able to for months.” 

Sylvie exhaled. “Do you know how much misery we could’ve saved by talking about this earlier?” 

“I know.” Matt closed most of the gap between them, his hands on either side of her on the counter. “But you know where I stand now. What about you? What do  _ you  _ want?” 

“You.” It was a one word response, but it was honest. “I want you. I want to be with you.” 

“You have me.” 

Her lips turned upwards into a smile, and refusing any more time, she pushed herself forward, closing the few inches left between them to kiss him. 

This kiss was nothing like their first; that had been tender and gentle. This kiss was desperate and hungry, weeks’ worth of built up tension and frustration being released into a kiss. 

Sylvie pushed his jacket off his shoulders, not caring where it landed; Matt’s had his hands on her hips, moving them towards her bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind them. 

* * *

“Matt!” Sylvie was standing in front of her closet, trying to settle on an outfit; a task being made difficult by Matt standing behind her with his hands on her hips and lips on her neck. “You’re the one insisting we have to actually leave the apartment to get dinner, which will never happen, if you keep distracting me.” 

They’d spent most of the afternoon tangled in her sheets, and she’d have been very content to have stayed there the rest of the night; she’d have been fine with spending the rest of their time off in bed, living off Postmates and never getting dressed, but Matt had been persistent they should go out, despite having distracted her at every step of her attempt to get ready. 

“Hey, you’re the one that suggested I join you in the shower.” Matt laughed. “That delayed us by at least half an hour.” 

“Yeah, I didn’t hear you complaining.” Sylvie grinned as she turned around to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “But you’re the one insisting we should go out for dinner. I believe you said something about a proper date.” 

“I did, didn’t I?” Matt sighed dramatically. “How stupid of me. We should just spend the next thirty-six hours in this room. We do have weeks to make up for.” 

“Months, really.” She laughed before his lips found hers; she reluctantly pulled away a few seconds later. “But it was your idea. Go wait in the living room before we get distracted again. I’ll be out in five.” 

Matt laughed. “Fine.” 

She watched him walk out of her bedroom, the grin never fading from her face; her cheeks were actually starting to hurt from all the smiling she’d done all afternoon. 

* * *

They’d chosen a quiet little Italian place a few blocks from Sylvie’s apartment for dinner; they were in a round booth towards the back of the restaurant, and she was curled against his side, his arm around the back of the booth as his hand rested on her shoulder, while he looked over the dessert menu. 

“Do you want anything for dessert?”

Sylvie bit her lower lip, shaking her head. “I think I’d rather just go back to the apartment.” 

“Well, that’s more than fine with me.”

“Before we do, though.” Sylvie sat up, putting a few inches of space between them. “I want to talk about something.” 

“Okay.” Matt turned his head towards her. “What’s that?” 

“One thing about us I love is that we’ve always, well maybe not so much the past month, we’ve always communicated so well.” Sylvie took his hand in hers, lacing her fingers through his. “I want to make sure that’s still going to be true now that we’re together.” 

Matt nodded. “I know why you’d be worried. It’s never been my best trait, but I know I’ll do my best.” 

“I don’t just mean you, Matt.” Sylvie stated. “There are things we both need to work on. We need to be open and honest. I’m not under any illusion this will always be easy or smooth sailing, no relationship is. But as long as we work on things  _ together  _ and talk things out, I think we’ll be just fine.” 

“Together.” Matt agreed, lifting their interlaced hands to kiss the top of hers. “I think we’ll be more than fine.” 

**Author's Note:**

> So, basically, I took random details I know about upcoming episodes and ran with it, twisting them to fit this story, lol. Knowing at some point Severide is at Brett's, knowing they were casting for a clown, filming at a cemetery, Casey going to a hardware store, for example. I'm not even trying to predict what these things will actually be on the show because I am confused about what the hell is happening with all these details, lol. 
> 
> I started it before we saw 9x04, and now I lowkey feel bad about making Greg into a jerk because he's adorable on the show. And I didn't touch the topic of Sydney, but I don't even want to think about that. 
> 
> Anyways... as always, hope you enjoyed! I have a few more things I'm working on right now, so hopefully you'll be seeing those posted over the weekend!


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